1
|
Sansom-Daly UM, Wiener L, Darlington AS, Poort H, Rosenberg AR, Weaver MS, Schulte F, Anazodo A, Phillips C, Sue L, Herbert AR, Mack JW, Lindsay T, Evans H, Wakefield CE. Thinking globally to improve care locally: A Delphi study protocol to achieve international clinical consensus on best-practice end-of-life communication with adolescents and young adults with cancer. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0270797. [PMID: 35802558 PMCID: PMC9269432 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
For the sizeable subset of adolescents and young adults whose cancer is incurable, developmentally appropriate end-of-life discussions are critical. Standards of care for adolescent and young adult end-of-life communication have been established, however, many health-professionals do not feel confident leading these conversations, leaving gaps in the implementation of best-practice end-of-life communication. We present a protocol for a Delphi study informing the development and implementation of clinician training to strengthen health-professionals’ capacity in end-of-life conversations. Our approach will inform training to address barriers to end-of-life communication with adolescents and young adults across Westernized Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Global Accord countries. The Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Global Accord team involves 26 investigators from Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Twenty-four consumers, including adolescents and young adults with cancer history and carers, informed study design. We describe methodology for a modified Delphi questionnaire. The questionnaire aims to determine optimal timing for end-of-life communication with adolescents and young adults, practice-related content needed in clinician training for end-of-life communication with adolescents and young adults, and desireability of evidence-based training models. Round 1 involves an expert panel of investigators identifying appropriate questionnaire items. Rounds 2 and 3 involve questionnaires of international multidisciplinary health-professionals, followed by further input by adolescents and young adults. A second stage of research will design health-professional training to support best-practice end-of-life communication. The outcomes of this iterative and participatory research will directly inform the implementation of best-practice end-of-life communication across Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Global Accord countries. Barriers and training preferences identified will directly contribute to developing clinician-training resources. Our results will provide a framework to support further investigating end-of-life communication with adolescents and young adults across diverse countries. Our experiences also highlight effective methodology in undertaking highly collaborative global research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ursula M. Sansom-Daly
- Behavioural Sciences Unit proudly supported by the Kids with Cancer Foundation, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, Discipline of Paediatrics, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Youth Cancer Service, Prince of Wales/Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Lori Wiener
- Psychosocial Support and Research Program, Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Anne-Sophie Darlington
- School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Hanneke Poort
- Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Abby R. Rosenberg
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Palliative Care and Resilience Program, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Meaghann S. Weaver
- Divisions of Palliative Care & Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States of America
- National Center for Ethics in Health Care, Washington DC, Washington, United States of America
| | - Fiona Schulte
- Division of Psychosocial Oncology, Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Hematology, Oncology and Transplant Program, Alberta Children’s Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Antoinette Anazodo
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, Discipline of Paediatrics, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
- Sydney Youth Cancer Service, Prince of Wales/Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
- Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Celeste Phillips
- School of Nursing, Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Louise Sue
- Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Services Team, Canterbury District Health Board, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Anthony R. Herbert
- Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Children’s Research, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jennifer W. Mack
- Population Sciences for Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Toni Lindsay
- Chris O’Brien Lifehouse Cancer Centre, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Holly Evans
- Behavioural Sciences Unit proudly supported by the Kids with Cancer Foundation, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, Discipline of Paediatrics, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Claire E. Wakefield
- Behavioural Sciences Unit proudly supported by the Kids with Cancer Foundation, Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine & Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, Discipline of Paediatrics, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia
| | | |
Collapse
|